The pinkish mauve, tubular flowers, clustered into umbels of up to twenty flowers

Leaf shape

Leaf texture

Smooth

Leaf scent

Garlic

Leaf info

Evergreen

Fruit type

Seed colour

Black

Seed info

The fruit, triangular capsules, are grouped into a head, and when ripe they split to release the flattened, hard black seeds.

Description

Tulbaghia violacea is a fast-growing, bulbous plant, The leaves are long, narrow, strap-like, slightly fleshy and smell strongly of garlic when bruised. They grow from fat, tuberous roots which spread to form clumps of plants.

Growing

Propagate from seed or by dividing larger clumps. The hard black seeds are best sown in spring in deep seed trays and can be planted out during their second year. Once the clumps that have been divided are planted, they should be left undisturbed for as long as possible. First flowering can generally be expected in the second or third year

Distribution

This drought resistant plant stretches from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, to as far north as Zimbabwe.

History

Uses

Wild garlic is traditionally used fro fever and colds, but also for asthma and tuberculosis. Decoctions are administered as enemas for stomach problems. The leaves are used to treat cancer of the oesophagus.

This attractive plant is ideal for the herb garden, as both the leaves and flowers can be used in salads and other dishes. The crushed leaves may be used to help cure sinus headaches and to discourage moles from the garden (by their strong smell). The smell repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes when crushed on the skin.

Ecology

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